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Summary: Gen-X Novel of Kenyan Wazungu not for everyone
Review: "Rules of the Wild" is a story of love, lust, sex, mating practices, and sexual politics among Kenya's Wazungu tribe in the 1990's. The action takes place in and around Karen, but this isn't Blixen's Africa. The novel's tone is on the ironic, cynical, and jaded side, but one suspects there is a lot of truth here. The privileged, self-obsessed, always-outsider Wazungu are not easy to like, but they seem to be in keeping with the apparently deserved reputation for decadence among the ex-pat community in "Happy Valley". (see: "White Mischief" by James Fox). As with most fiction (by white authors) set in Africa, Africans play a small supporting role, but this is the only novel I know of that asks, Why? This is a romance set in Africa, but it's a romance the way Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" is a western. It takes the conventions and forces them through the ringer; the characters themselves in "Rules of the Wild" react against the ("Out of) Africa(") that was (or never was). Kenya's natural wonders and human tragedies are well described, but the real story here, also well written, is emotional as the narrator struggles to understand her world and her self. This isn't for everyone, but I suspect most people under-40 will enjoy this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts off poorly, but turns beautiful
Review: Marciano has given us a spare, beautiful book about people. While much time can and should be spent discussing the main character, Esme, and her relationship with Africa, I found the most intriguing and forceful element of the book to be the people and tight-knit, highly cliquish society described. I found myself both horrified and excited by the dangerous relationships, the way sexual partners are often changing hands, the way friends love each other and leave each other. The book is worth reading for an exploration of these relationships, as well as the prose and the imagery of the Kenyan wilderness. I recommend it with a disclaimer to be forwarned that the reader may not enjoy the character of Esme at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Fairly good effort for a first time author
Review: The story revolves around a young jaded Italian woman, Esmé, who recently lost her father. She is still very immature and doesn't see herself as an individual of value. Unfortunately the author never make Esmé vital and real either. What the author did do though was make me think about colonialism, prejudice and greed. The story embodies all of these things and offers no clear solutions to any of them. While the writing style is good, the romance aspect is too involved and the "real" Africa is not involved enough. A good first effort but could be alot better.
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Summary: I thought it was beautiful, but not everyone will.
Review: "Let's be honest about it. This is a story about white people in Africa. I am not even going to pretend that it is anything else." These are the first words in chapter five of "Rules of the Wild". If that discourages you, don't buy the book. This book, above all, is a romance. It is a passionate and beautifully constructed romance, but if you don't care for them, you probably won't get much out of "Rules of the Wild." It will also probably appeal more to you if you are a woman, but perhaps not.No matter who you are, I would recommend it. It is not just a romance; there is so much beneath that. No, it is not a social commentary about Africa or the lives of its inhabitants, but it sometimes comes close. It is hard for me to discribe this book - it both saddened and uplifted me. When I was done with it, I felt like a better person for reading it. "Rules of the Wild" is about romance. It is about love, life, and the human capacity to love and to live, and most of all to feel. It is incredible.
Rating:
Summary: Rules of the Wild
Review: Esme, a young, beautiful, privileged Italian woman, arrives in Kenya, to heal from the loss of her father. She meets Adam, a Kenyan-born white, who operates luxury safaris for other rich and privileged whites. Adam introduces her to the stark beauty and intensity of Africa, and Esme is somehow restored and healed. Marciano's writing is heady, rich and poetic, and we sense a true love for the landscape she describes. She also attempts to convey her contempt for the white community who do nothing but bark at servants, dress for parties, and share sex partners. Soon Esme, although paired with Adam, begins an affair with Hunter, an aloof and cynical British journalist. Hunter is wounded by the same world that is romanticized by Adam. He covers the wars in Somalia and Rwanda, carries its scars, and seeks to understand what he has witnessed, with the lack of response from the international community. Hunter forces Esme to see things in a different way, and how she, and the other white community contribute to the hypocrisy of the Hemingwayesque vision of Africa. Through these three white characters, we see how Africa is viewed, mis-viewed and exploited by the Western world. But, they are much more than symbols and Marciano's writing enriches this. The beauty of the continent is always there, but also the shadow, always looming, of the brutality of that same world. Rules of the Wild is an extraordinary achievement. Surpassingly readable.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, atmospheric view of expats in modern Kenya
Review: At times this book read like a more upscale version of a romance novel, which is usually enough to make me stop reading. Yet, I found this story engrossing, despite the cliches. The characters are a mixed-up group of whites who grew up in Africa and expatriates from Europe who live and love in close proximity. The setting in Nairobi and in the bush of Kenya gives the book a fresh feel. The characters are either simple or tortured, yet they are an interesting lot.
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Summary: A painful personal story
Review: Yes, it is the story of an expat. Why a person become an expat, why she does not go back "home", is there still a home? How difficult is to find a new home? How tempting is to let others choose in your place? Romantic? THIS, a romantic novel? I think it is just disguised as a romantic novel. It isn't about a love story, it is about soul searching - and not finding! sad, sad, so sad... I am an Italian expat as well. While my experience is - thank goodness - different, I found this an interesting account...
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Summary: What are we to do?
Review: I have just finished reading The Poisonwood Bible which stirred up the same feelings in me as did Rules of the Wild. I have lived as an ex-patriate in Mexico and am currently living in Puerto Rico. I wish very much to avoid the attitudes and behaviors of the characters in these books. I agree with the reviewers who praise Marciano for her accurate descriptions of some ex-pats. I would be interested in hearing from natives of countries such as Africa and Mexico what ex-pats might do to be better guests in their countries.
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Summary: A great read
Review: I just read some of the other reviews written about this novel and I am saddened to see people take things so personally. Francesca Marciano penned a superb novel about expats in Kenya. Anyone who paid attention to the jacket of the book would have known that. For people to have bought this book and expected anything else, is sad. Yes the characters are narcissistic and yes they are shallow, but that was entirely the point. As an African, I have had many run ins with such people and anyone who has (and some who haven't), know that Ms. Marciano's version of expatriates in Africa, is incredibly accurate. Her handle of the English language is fabulous and her characters are interesting and intentionally lacking in substance. She vividly portrays the landscape and left me with a longing that I haven't felt in quite some time. I was transported to Kenya and felt the beauty of the land in the same way that the characters did. I reccommend this novel to anyone who knows how not to take life to seriously and how to see the flaws in others for what they are.
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Summary: Read it, and decide for yourself! You will not be disapoined
Review: I found Rules of the Wild to be a complex and beautifully written story. It is the type of story that investigates real life emotions and how one can be blind to true love. I have recommended this book to many people, all whom have reported it to be a great read.
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